Function of epidermal surfaces in the trapping efficiency of Nepenthes alata pitchers

2002/11/24 by Laurence Gaume, Stanislav N. Gorb, Nick Rowe · 13 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Plant Parasitism and Resistance #Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies

paper · pdf · doi:10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00530.x

openalex publication_date 2002/11/24 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

• Several epidermal microstructures characterize surfaces of pitcher plants and are presumably involved in their trapping function. Here we report the effects of Nepenthes alata surfaces on insect locomotion and trapping efficiency. • The architectural designs of pitcher surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. Two insect species - fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster) and ant (Iridomyrmex humilis) - were tested for their ability to remain and walk on them. The relative contributions of various epidermal structures to trapping ability were quantified. • Pitchers were very effective traps for both insect species. They were slightly more efficient in capturing the ants, but slightly more effective in retaining captured flies. Trapping efficiency was attributed to the combined effects of several surfaces displaying different functions. The waxy zone played a key role in the slippery syndrome: in addition to the wax itself, the subjacent layer of convex lunate cells interfered considerably with insect locomotion. The unsubmersed glandular zone displayed an important retentive effect and secretions of the digestive glands are suspected to be adhesive. • Pad performances of the hairy and smooth system of attachment are discussed to explain the differences between the two insect species. This study aims to encourage biomechanical studies of plant-insect surface mechanisms.

Citations

• Mass march of termites into the deadly trap
• The nitrogen supply from soils and insects during growth of the pitcher plants Nepenthes mirabilis , Cephalotus follicularis and Darlingtonia californica
• Aspects of Pitcher Morphology and Spectral Characteristics of Six BorneanNepenthesPitcher Plant Species: Implications for Prey Capture
• Purity of the sacred lotus, or escape from contamination in biological surfaces
• Pitcher Dimorphism, Prey Composition and the Mechanisms of Prey Attraction in the Pitcher Plant Nepenthes Rafflesiana in Borneo

Cited by

• The insect-trapping rim of Nepenthes pitchers
• Slippery surfaces of pitcher plants: Nepenthes wax crystals minimize insect attachment via microscopic surface roughness
• Slippery surfaces of carnivorous plants: composition of epicuticular wax crystals in Nepenthes alata Blanco pitchers
• Capture mechanism in Palaeotropical pitcher plants (Nepenthaceae) is constrained by climate
• Structure and properties of the glandular surface in the digestive zone of the pitcher in the carnivorous plantNepenthes ventrataand its role in insect trapping and retention
• How do plant waxes cause flies to slide? Experimental tests of wax-based trapping mechanisms in three pitfall carnivorous plants
• Anatomical Characters Used for Defining Five Species of Nepenthes from Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia
• Carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants combine common developmental processes to make a complex epidermal trapping surface
• Form follows function: morphological diversification and alternative trapping strategies in carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants
• Tree shrew lavatories: a novel nitrogen sequestration strategy in a tropical pitcher plant
• A new carnivorous plant lineage ( Triantha ) with a unique sticky-inflorescence trap
• Fluid physico-chemical properties influence capture and diet in Nepenthes pitcher plants
• Nepenthes alata [wikipedia]